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Birch
Memorial Clock Tower |
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Erected in memory
of J.W.W.Birch, the first British Resident of Perak who was
assassinated in Pasir Salak on 2.11.1875 by local Malay Chiefs
Datuk Maharaja Lela.
Birch has been described by
R.O. Windstedt and R. J.
Wilkinson in The History of
Perak as "a lonely
pathetic figure of an
Englishman with narrow rigid
ideas as his daily
companions". The
book also states that Birch
once wrote that "it
concerns us little what were
the customs of the country nor
do I think they are worthy of
any consideration".
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Birch Memorial, Post Office
Road |
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Standing in front of the Ipoh
State Mosque, the square tower comprises a portrait bust and four panels
illustrating the growth of civilisation.
Unveiled in 1909, the Birch
Memorial, a square decorated tower with a portrait bust and
four panels illustrative of the growth of civilisation
was erected on the table-land at a cost of about
$25,000.
A dedication to J.W.W.Birch, the first
British Resident of Perak, is found beneath the bronze bust of
Birch in the north-facing niche.
The clock tower has one mother bell, 6 ft 6 in. in diameter and
weighing 10 cwt., and four smaller bells weighing together 10
cwt., which used to strike the chimes of Big Ben.
At the
corners of the belfry, mounted on pedestals, are terracotta
figures, representing the four "Virtues of British
Administration" - Loyalty, with sword and shield,
Justice, blind and carrying a sword and a pair of scales,
Patience, unarmed, and Fortitude, with a calm face and bearing
a spear.
On the civilisation panel, 44 famous figures in
world history were portrayed. The image of the last
Prophet facing the mosque was painted over in the 1990s due to
objection from Muslims to the depiction of the Prophet.
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